Dear Brooklynne {Eight}

Dear Brooklynne,

 You've been eight for almost a month now, but I am just getting a chance to sit down and write you a birthday letter. Part of me still can't comprehend you being 8, because I vividly remember being that age and it seems like not too long ago. Hard to believe it was 20 years ago... what?

 Anyway, your birthday fell on Memorial Day this year which was also the day after Molly died. It rained most of the day which seemed fitting for the Little family and their greif and they were heavy on our hearts. However, I wanted to cherish the day because we never know if we have tomorrow and it was even more magnified on your birthday. Your cousins slept over the night before and everyone came over the next day. Since it was raining, we watched movies, sprawled out in various rooms in the house. When it came time to do cake (actually, the key lime pie that you requested) and presents, you beamed shyly, loving every minute. Everyone sang to you and we oohed and aahed over your presents.

 You have changed so much this year, maturing and growing into such a sweet young lady. School changed you a lot; it was a great experience for you. Watching you at this age, changing and maturing so quickly, makes me more aware of my own faults. Although I remember bits and pieces over the years, so many of my childhood memories really started around age 8. Which makes me realize that you'll remember so much now, and that hits me like a ton of bricks. You'll remember my faults, and that scares me. You'll also start realizing (if you haven't already) that Mommy and Daddy are not perfect. My burning desire for you is that when we let you down, you will turn to your Heavenly Father who will never let you down. That you will develop your own yearning to truly know our Saviour and serve him because of your love of him--not because daddy and I want you to.

 8 years ago you made me a Mom, and I love to tell you the story of how happy I was when you were born. Waiting 9 long months to hear daddy say, "IT'S A GIRL"! was the most amazing experience and I will never forget it.
  You have continued to make me so happy every day since then. You have always been so easy to parent with your sweet, easy going spirit. You are such a great big sister and help to me around the house. You are a servant, a quality that has been passed down from daddy to you. 

 You are missing your two front teeth right now and it is the cutest thing I've ever seen. You're an excellent reader and have beautiful penmanship. 

 You make daddy and I so happy and proud to be your parents. We love you so much!

 Love,

 Mommy 

A Post of Firsts

School started this week, bringing big changes for our family. This is Brooke's first year attending our church school. She is loving it so far--me, not so much. I miss her, and 9 hours a day is a long time! I'm hoping I'll adjust to it soon, but for now, I'm just glad that she loves it and seems to be doing really well.

 I'm teaching JoJo Kindergarten at home and learning that boys are very different to teach than girls! He's doing great, though, and we're both enjoying it! I'm usually holding the baby during school, because he's not too keen on taking longer naps by himself. Some might say I'm spoiling him, but I prefer to say I'm enjoying him. I just can't resist his little snuggly body curled up against mine! (Which is where he is right now, because I can't stop)

First day of second grade!

First day of Kindergarten!

Other firsts...his first Sunday going to church, wearing a tux, because duh, when you're two weeks old style is important! And look, he's already praising the Lord!

The cutest little face ever

His umbilical cord stump fell off at only 6 days old (just like his sister!), so he got his first bath, which he loved and never made one peep!

It was a family affair, which pretty much every new baby event is in this house. This baby is oh so loved! 

My Mom leaves tomorrow, and while I'm dreading the goodbye, I am so, so thankful for the 3 weeks she was able to spend here. She has spoiled us rotten! Because I have such a big family, we don't get much alone time so time with just her after I have a baby is very precious to me. Hey, maybe I should start cranking out babies more often!

 Just kidding.

Tomorrow's Friday! Have a great weekend, friends!

First Grade

So moving and then starting school a week later isn’t something I would recommend, but hey, sometimes you can’t choose these things. Last week I was unpacking in between looking through my seemingly ridiculous amount of curriculum and trying to make sense of it all. After a few hours, a couple tears and a call to my Mom, it finally made sense and I was able to start lesson planning in my totally cool new planner that a friend made me.  I painted an old dresser (which I will post about later, because it was so easy, even for me!) to turn into an organized area for our supplies, made a last minute trip to the Dollar Store and Target for pencils, erasers, and a few other things that somehow added up to $120 (are you kidding me???) and we woke up Monday morning, ready for the day.

Of course as always with Motherhood and homeschooling, things didn’t go as planned and we started an hour and a half late, but you know what, that’s the beauty of homeschooling. After a rough morning, we all opened our books with good attitudes, ready to take on First Grade.

 I picked up a few pre-school books for Joe at the Dollar Store to see if he would be interested in doing them, and I honestly thought he would. I’m not for pushing kids to have formal school time before kindergarten, because that’s the beauty of being a kid—you get to play and explore with not a care in the world and I’m all about letting them be little. However, I really thought he would be ready for a little book time. 

 Um, not so much. He wasn’t even interested in drawing a row of ones. ONES! They are sticks! Nope, too boring for him. So he scribbles and colors and gets excited when he sees letters that he recognizes. Maybe I’ll try again next semester to prepare him for Kindergarten, but for now, I’m letting him be a 3 year old boy. Ehem.

We’re on day 3 of school and already completed 10 lessons, because it’s so much review and I wanted to get ahead as much as I could. Family arrives in less than 2 months and we like to party a little too much when they are here which means that we do more shopping and eating and playing than we do schoolwork, which is another beauty of homeschool. Double up when you have the time so when you don’t have the time you are free to do what you need to. And trust me, shopping at the Outlet Mall is a definite need. J

Princess Tea Party

On Brooke's actual birthday, we spent most of the day driving all over town looking at houses. We did start off her day with doughnuts, she got McDonalds for lunch, and I made her requested birthday dinner: Macaroni and Cheese (homemade, of course), bbq chips, grapefruit, apples and clementines. For dessert, chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and rocky road ice cream. She kept saying she was so happy, but in my eyes it wasn't exactly all about her with us running all over the place all day and the house a construction zone with boxes piled everywhere. I love to make birthday's really special for my kids, so I really excited about her princess tea party with her friends in a few weeks that she had requested.

 I'll be honest--I didn't put much planning into this one but it ended up perfect. A Dollar Store run for basic party favor bags to fill with candy, cookies and girly notepads, tierra's and wands, did some simple menu planning (what kids like best!) and everything else was compiled with what we already had. My Mother-in-law came and helped me out which was a huge blessing!


I set out jewelry, extra princess clothes, lotion, body spray and lip gloss for the princesses to get extra pretty if they desired

We used real China, and it's special to me because it was my Grandmother's. She died when I was a few weeks old, so it's something of hers that I'll always treasure. The tablecloth was from a thrift store--perfect touch!

The tea was sweet tea bought in gallon jugs at the grocery store. I didn't want to mess with hot tea for an outdoor party when it was 90 degrees. We ate sandwiches cut into small quarters  fruit, snack mix and cheetos. Because, duh. Every princess needs her cheetos.

The games were ones I played at my birthday parties growing up and still remember how fun they were. Pin the Tail on the donkey and musical chairs. I resisted the urge to jump in and play myself.

After several attempts to light the candles outside, we went inside where they stayed lit and we sang "Happy Birthday"

Princesses and Presents

This day was so much fun, and I know Brookie is thankful for all of her great friends!

Tuning In

This weekend Nate and I sat on the couch watching our kids play horsey. When Brookie sat on Joe's back, he would slump to the ground because she was bigger than him and they would burst into hysterical giggles. Brookie could crawl around with Joe on her back, but it wasn't without laughing and yelling and general chaos. Nate and I would look at each other, smile and laugh but not exchange words. Our eyes meeting said it all. Aren't they adorable? I can't believe they are ours. We are so blessed. 

 Sometimes it's good to stop and just watch your kids interact with each other. Tune in and listen to their giggling, their imaginative conversation and even their bickering. I tend to zone out a lot, washing dishes, wiping counters, sweeping floors and the kid's play becomes a distant background noise that too often goes unnoticed. I'm trying to be more present, even if I'm not actually interacting at the moment, because their little voices will only be little for so long!

his first mischievous act: pulled all the tissues out of the box, and loved every moment 

Just walked by the bathroom at bed time to see my son multi-tasking at it's best: brushing his teeth and going potty. You know, no biggie.

She's a natural ballerina. She loves to twirl and jump and does it pretty gracefully, too.

I celebrated my 26th birthday this week, and it was truly one of the best I've ever had. It involved lots of shopping and eating, 2 of my most favorite things. Oh, and my hubby, babies and sister who is in town for a few weeks. It doesn't get any better than that! The Lord has given me another amazing year on this earth and I am so grateful for his mercies that are new every morning!

Italians love calamari!

The boys stayed with Grandma when we went to eat, but she got to come which was a really special treat. Check out her bowl of food!

My sister took a vacation to Florida right before coming to see me just so she could make me look white as a ghost in this picture. True story.

Nathan started standing up in his crib this week, a pretty big accomplishment since pack and plays don't have much to grab on to. He stands every time now and just looks way too cute!

 This weekend we rested, listened and interacted. Nothing like having a sister around, and the kids love spending time with their Aunt! We don't have a lot planned, but we'll definitely be tuning in and enjoying the little things!